EHS Leader - Chiva Production Site

Join Oterra in making natural food and beverages easy, for a sustainable and healthy world.

Headquartered in Denmark, with production sites across Europe, Latin America, and the US, we are a passionate team of over 1,400 people in 30 countries, serving 120 global markets. As the leading global provider of natural colors, we offer food and beverage manufacturers a true alternative to artificial coloring. Food and health are at the heart of everything we do, and every day, more than 400 million people consume products with our colors. We believe that nature got it right the first time.

Meet your new team

You will join the EHS (Environment, Health & Safety) department at our production site in Chiva, reporting locally to the Site Manager and functionally to the Global EHS Manager. You will work closely with site leadership and the global network of EHS leaders across Oterra, supporting a culture of safety, compliance, and continuous improvement.

What would your role look like?

As EHS Leader, you will manage the site’s Health, Safety, and Environmental programs, ensuring full legal compliance, promoting best practices, and embedding EHS into the daily operations of the plant. You will lead local initiatives while aligning with global standards and strategies.

This is a full-time, permanent, on-site role based in Chiva, Valencia.

Key responsibilities

Operational and Strategic EHS Management

• Collaborate daily with production and technical leaders to ensure full integration of EHS into operations.
• Coordinate with local authorities, labor inspectors, mutual insurance providers, and external prevention services (SPA).
• Lead daily/weekly/monthly performance monitoring of safety KPIs (LTI, PSI, HPI, near misses).
• Define and track site-specific action plans aligned with the global EHS roadmap.
• Propose and manage EHS-related CAPEX investments to meet corporate safety and sustainability standards.
• Implement and control critical safety systems such as LOTOTO and work permits.

Compliance and Risk Control

• Ensure full compliance with EHS (PRL) and environmental legislation, including the Prefectural/Autonomic Decree.
• Maintain updated risk assessments and legal documentation.
• Conduct and lead incident and accident investigations, extract learnings, and deploy corrective actions.
• Coordinate safety inspections, internal audits, and support external audits (ISO 45001, ISO 14001, SEDEX/SMETA).

Training, Awareness & Culture

• Define and manage the EHS training plan: content, delivery, and compliance follow-up.
• Organize emergency response drills and engage supervisors and staff in behavior-based safety.
• Promote a high-performance safety culture across all plant levels.
• Lead team meetings and coaching sessions to reinforce safe practices.
• Lead, challenge, and influence people (leaders and plant staff) to achieve sustainable cultural change. Make things happen!
• Improve factory safety standards.

Environmental & Sustainability Initiatives

• Monitor environmental performance indicators and compliance.
• Oversee the wastewater treatment plant and liaise with external contractors.
• Identify and implement improvements in waste valorization and emission reduction.
• Support the local execution of corporate sustainability programs.

Global & Cross-functional Collaboration

• Participate in global EHS meetings and strategic initiatives with peers across other Oterra sites.
• Represent the EHS department in plant leadership meetings and employee committees.
• Lead and develop the local EHS team and collaborate cross-functionally with technical, quality, and maintenance leaders and Supply Chain team.

Who are we looking for?

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, or related field.
• Master's Degree in Occupational Risk Prevention (with the three specialties).

Experience

• A minimum of 3 years of proven experience in EHS roles in industrial environments.

Languages

• Spanish.
• English: Fluent and advanced level (minimum B2, ideally C1) – required for effective documentation and international collaboration.

Key Competencies

• Strong knowledge of Spanish legislation in PRL, ADR, and environmental law.
• Experience with ISO 45001, ISO 14001, HACCP.
• Holding a NEBOSH IGC certification will be considered an asset.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, CAE platforms; SAP knowledge is a plus.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Proactive, analytical, and results-driven.

What can we offer?

• Permanent contract.
• Competitive salary conditions based on the experience provided, within the framework of the applicable Collective Agreement for the Chemical Industry.
• High-impact role with global exposure and growth opportunities.
• Work in a purpose-driven company with a collaborative culture and strong focus on sustainability.
• Social benefits: Health Insurance and pension plan.

Do you want to know more?

If you have questions about the position, feel free to contact our internal recruiter, Gonzalo Mallea, at gonzalo.mallea@oterra.com.